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Procrast
Starting Member
5 Posts
Gratitude: 2
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 Posted - 04/15/2009 : 06:25:39
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Dear friends,
My ex-colleague from my workplace has been diagnosed as a bipolar where depression is a major symptom. He is addicted to nicotine; occasionally a solvent abuser; believes that without drinking he cannot enjoy parties; has tried to commit suicide at least six times; has had recently a manic episode from which he quit his job and is now being taken care of with great effort and dedication by his widowed father (everybody else got tired of helping him). Since at this point, all antidepressive medication apparently stopped working with him, his therapist is advising electroconvulsive therapy. His father has serious doubts about administering him this type of therapy because of movies he has seen. Has anyone here had this therapy? Is it risky? He is very intelligent and capable professionally. Would that therapy risk making him aloof and dull?
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| Procrast
Starting Member
5 Posts
Gratitude: 2
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Posted - 04/18/2009 : 07:25:09
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Dear Davidt,
Thank you for pointing out to me previous posts on ECT. I read all of them.
Dear Members,
However, I cannot help but contrast what I read with the Administrator's post on "Fairness in evaluating medications". The Administrator says, and I quote:
"It is important to have a balanced discussion about the medications used in the treatment of Bipolar Disorder. Thus it can be very misleading to present a list of a hundred side-effects for a medication without a statement that only the minority of patients experience these side-effects....
It is true that what may be a miracle medication for one individual with Bipolar Disorder, can prove to be intolerable for another individual. Nevertheless, for the majority of individuals with Bipolar Disorder, medication can literally save their lives."
From the posts I read, clearly, patients do not seem to like ECT. Some say it incapacitated them. The question is, I could not find a paper in the research literature saying that ECT caused someone to stop speaking a foreign language, or caused someone to be unable to use a particular complex software after a recovery period.
Patients in general, myself included, we do not like the side effects of most of these very helpful medications. Indeed, there are numerous cases of patients that do not take their pills because they have aversion for the side effects.
Why would it be different with ECT?
In short, I am wondering what is the scientific validity of posting anecdotal evidence on any treatments in such a forum - evidence which is patient-biased - and sometimes scary to those in need of such treatments.
My ex-colleague might become even more worried if he reads what I read in the previous posts.
On the other hand, if regarded as a description of what might happen to anyone considering ECT, after they take it, the description could be helpful in preparing spirits.
Temporary loss of memory is probably very unpleasant But if the patient eventually recovers and improves his/her overall condition, then...
Is anyone reading this, genuinely handicapped by ECT in a manner that could be truly blamed on the ECT treatment and not on any drug, counseling therapy, or on the normal course of their own diseases?
Thank you all. I need more information to be able to intelligently discuss that with my ex-colleague.
Fred
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| twinkles
Starting Member
1 Posts |
Posted - 05/12/2010 : 12:21:14
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My 18-yr-old son had 12 treatments of ECT due to medications not helping. It was traumatic to say the least, although the psychiatrist (1 of only 2 in my city who perform it) played it down.
I will tell you that it seemed to take effect after the 9th or 10th treatment till about 2 weeks after the last treatment. In other words, things seemed better for 2 weeks after the final treatment. The reality is that my son was zapped out and ultra pleasant, almost zombie-ish during this time. He was agreeable to anything and the perfect stepford son you might say. After only about 2 weeks, he was back to the same depression, social anxiety, etc. that he had before, EXCEPT now his memory is worse and his cognitive abilities are slower and it's frustrating to him. He knows ECT affected him negatively and that it did not work for him. Very disappointing and he is angry that he feels he was convinced into doing it.
I would never ask him to try it again. Never.
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Electroconvulsive therapy
